Offering Opinions and Insights

Truck Driver Shortage

The driver shortage is back so they say. But if you talk to a veteran trucker they will tell you there never was one. If you will recall the ATA said there was no longer a shortage but rather a glut of drivers when “Queen of the Road” was aired. That was the first of 3 so far investigative reports into trucking from Dan Rather Report on HDNet.

If you have kept up to date with my previous posts my feeling was that this was linked to selling loans & collecting commissions first by trucking recruiters with a disregard for your success as a student trucker. (Dan Rather Report “Mind Your Loan Business”)

Of those who can secure either a personal loan or receive government funding to go to truck driving school, most will not make it past the first year, but who cares if you are in the business to sell loans. Insurance is the reason, so they say that a new trucker must be funneled into the handful of student trucking fleets regardless if you grew up in a trucking family and can already drive. For the rest of the population who have somehow found themselves entertaining the idea of becoming a trucker this may not be such a big deal but don’t get to confident, many of you will not make it either.

Student trucking fleets exist on an enormous amount of government money and funding, it’s sorta funny that the jobs bill is coming up and POOF! The Driver shortage has reappeared.

Student Truckers work cheap, as they should in order to learn the job of trucking but you should understand that trucking cycles through cheap labor just as every other industry does & you are expendable from the second the government cheese stops on your head.

I have just passed my two year mark in trucking and in a good economy it would be wise to go to a fleet where I am paid better but the truth is that those companies I have aspired to apply to are not hiring, many trucking companies are still struggling to stay afloat. I got my experience now and even though I am on a cushy dedicated fleet I only make 27.5 cents per mile, I work about 55 plus hours per week but I don’t get paid by the hour, I get paid by the mile and they have not been the 2400 average lately.

New regulations like CSA 2010 will definitely force out many drivers making room for new recruits who will do things the new way. Teaching an old dog a new trick is not a priority it seems in trucking so with new regulations and the movement to paperless logs, many drivers will be unable to adapt.

For new students, I recommend you start becoming educated now because many recruiters, CDL Schools and Training companies will not be interested in your long-term success because there are incentives to see you get that loan, work cheap and then quit after 6 or 7 months.

This makes room for another student and leaves you with less than the amount of experience you need to go to another company, despite what they tell you when you are in the planning stages to enter this career.

The training environment is focused on moving freight cheap, not learning how to be succesfull in the long run, that is up to you alone. I still love my job but I don’t make enough money to have a home or a car. I cannot afford to take much time off so I have not seen my family or friends much in the past 2 years. I have a good dispatcher and that is really hard to leave after all the shit I have been through. A good dispatcher to me means, he does not tell me to do things that are illegal or unsafe. Check Out this recent case against Prime Inc and you will know what I mean. “Prime Inc pays $75,000 in punitive damages”

My dispatcher does not hold miles over my head if I do not comply to “I need a Favor” which usually means break the law and risk my CDL. He does not push me in bad weather and I think he knows I have good judgement that I won’t puss out while at the same time I know when to shut it down. He answers the phone when I call him and he is polite. I am polite to him as well even if I am having a bad day out here. I know he has a huge fleet and gets yelled at all day long. I don’t take my shit out on him and he does not take his out on me. Now that I said that publically he might start being an asshole, who knows? But I will just have more time to write if I am not rolling …I adapt.

The trucking industry does not like the term “Starve Out”, they prefer “Squeezing Out”, same thing… that means miles are withheld and you are left to sit until you quit on your own. Therefore you have abandoned the truck and this can go on your record which makes it hard to get another job.

You probably won’t be able to collect unemployment because you voluntarily quit. The trucking industry rarely fires people, they provoke you to make a jackass out of yourself. You never hear about trucking layoffs because then they could not justify the “Driver Shortage” and 125% turnover rate. Most people leave so discouraged they do not fight back so that’s why this has been going on for over 20 years.

Remember in the 1940 Disney movie Pinocchio that the little wooden boy is led astray many times with offers that lead him to troubles? Honest John & Gideon act as recruiters who sell the idea Pleasure Island is a voluntary vacation where there is unlimited freedom and bad behavior is rewarded. (Please read the definition of Pleasure Island I have linked here for you)

Remember the quiet sinister Coachman who sat and waited in the background for the boys to make “jackasses” of themselves?

The Coachman only had to sit back and wait for the boys to morph into donkeys so he could sell them off to work in the salt mines. The final morphing process was when they stopped being able to talk and could only HEE HAW! HEE HAW!

What a great gig for the Coachman, Honest John & Gideon! The “know it all” Lampwick was there giving all his expert advice. Remember it was Lampwick who turned into a Jackass first but Pinocchio was able to escape.

But say, remember the Coal Mine Ponies? Wouldn’t that be like a Salt Mine Donkey? Ponies were used in coal mines to replace Child & Female labor did you know that? Despite the Ponies being considered an investment to be cared for they were sometimes overworked. Child Labor Laws & Animal Welfare Laws are designed to prevent explotation.

Labor Laws are a son of a bitch for the bottom line, & in America, we really like cheap stuff so that’s why most of the stuff we buy is made in places that don’t have labor laws, that’s called “Outsourcing” and you should keep that in mind when you shop.

Trucking is a little harder to outsource but these are smart cookies here in this industry. Did you know that Truckers are considered “Unskilled Labor” ? That helps justify the wages, but wait a second? Unskilled Truckers driving 18 wheelers down the highway next to some family doesn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, how about you?

If you are about to embark into a career into trucking, don’t believe one word about the “Driver Shortage” your recruiter tries to sell you. Make sure you call training companies and companies who require experience and ask them about their hiring area, you may find you can be hired as a student but not as experienced from the same area.

Criminal records and/or driving records are also a factor. You might be able to get a loan or funding but not a job and NO REFUND!

If you are a Woman you have extra worries seeing how the “No Sex, No Pass & Get Out” Climate still exists in trucking & retaliation is alive and well in many companies, including faith-based.

Make sure you check the “Rip-Off Report” for prospective companies and you can try “Driver Match” to interview Trainers. A good trainer word of mouth will hopefully get some of the companies to be more pro-active on conduct training.

Remember that recruiters talk a different story to experienced drivers because students are Ching Ching and the risk might be worth it to these big fleets who carry their own insurance. This is a math equation many qualified individuals are still trying to wrap their head around.

Also, you should know that it is harder to get hired with a record, driving issues & health issues and some companies have agility or lifting requirements your recruiter or CDL School will not disclose. Always remember as a student you are a cheap labor force so even if you get a foot in the door be prepared for “squeeze out” around 6 months with nowhere to go and a student loan to pay.

Even if you make it to the 2 year mark like I have, not many places are hiring. More pay doesn’t nessesarily mean anything if its irregular miles that are not a guaranteed average. If you have a corrupt dispatcher that is a big tradeoff because this is truly your support system while you are out on your own.

Realistically you can expect about $35,000 your first year. My second year we got 3 pay cuts so I made about the same. My insurance and benefits have also been cut. The cost to live on the road and maintain a residence is not possible on this income. If you have a family I do not recommend becoming a trucker. The divorce rate is high and so is the affair rate. These things are not worth it if you calculate that you will be expected to work 70 hours a week and not be paid by the hour.

If I run 2400 miles which I rarely get these days at 27.5 that is $660 gross but lately it’s been half of that on the average. Those are the keywords “On the Average” that makes planning hard. Takeout food, cell phone and insurance and that does not leave much to justify being out 3 months at a time.

These are things recruiters don’t want you to know because they “Don’t want to scare anyone off”. I believe there are plenty of people who are like me and can make a life wherever they are but why lie to people who cannot afford the risk of being treated like a jackass?

I recently saw an ad of two people giving a testimonial they made $55,000 last year, but understand that trucking ads are intentionally misleading. What you have to see below the surface is that they were a married team driving couple. That means they have one income, don’t need to go home and the truck rolls 24/7 when freight is good. They live in a box together, which is quite difficult for anyone.

If you can live on very little, you are willing to risk your life working all sorts of weird hours. Be on a tight schedule, have the ability to listen and learn and want a challenge I highly recommend trucking.

It will be up to you to research the obstacles of the enormous amount of recruiting ads promising “Pleasure Island” scenarios. Your cheap labor is wanted in trucking to squeeze out experienced drivers who have few options to survive in this industry.

This is how it works so when you meet Honest John, Gideon, or Lampwick when you enter this industry, make sure you understand the “Coachman” is lurking in the shadows waiting for you to morph into a HEE HAWING Jackass that won’t talk back.

If you are seeking information from people who care about your success visit “Ask the Trucker” & Become a FAN on Facebook of REAL Women Truckers where you can meet Real Truckers & ask questions to help you understand the obstacles before you get yourself involved in a loan.

If you are a Trucking Industry Professional and want to hear what drivers are saying you are also welcome to become a fan but remember this is my turf so I won’t be having any strong-arm bullshit corporate mumbo jumbo.

34 Responses

Bravo!! What an analogy! Pleasure Island and Pinocchio!
I never thought of it that way, but you really hit the nail on the head.

Of course not all training and carriers are like this, but I would say that the ones that push the hardest at recruiting are probably the most guilty of it.

Also, the ones that shout the loudest, “Driver shortage” are probably the ones anticipating having the biggest recruiting campaign for students and/or new drivers.

I wonder if many veteran drivers will be “let go” “starved out”,squeezed out, using CSA 2010 as the excuse. Don’t forget, new drivers will come in with “0” violations and points and that will look much better for a company safety score.

By maintaining the turnover rate and continually hiring new drivers, it will secure the companies having a lot of drivers with “0” violations and points. ( not to mention the government incentives that are given to companies for recruiting cdl students and hiring new drivers/trainees)

CSA 2010 was created to increase safety and accountability. Let’s see if that’s the way it will work out….or will it be twisted into something else? I sure hope not!!

I am in the process of getting a CDL (on my own) already have the DOT medical card and permit, with hazmat, air brakes and tanker endorsements. I had a class 1 license before there was a CDL but surrendered it. I was going to go for a class A license but after reading and seeing the shenanigans these bozos play, I will just stick to the class B and stay local. After reading so many horror stories it would appear that corporate greed and college business scum have permeated even the trucking industry. Keep up your good work. If the industry cleans up it’s act maybe I will change my mind but for now I’ll take a pass.

Thanks for the comment! I am glad you found this post and you have done some reading on the subject. If you are already working locally then you really should stay away from OTR unless you have no family ties , can live on peanuts and have no problem being disrespected by people who could not do the job themselves.

Over time I think this industry will change dramatically but it will be many years until the process is complete. Those who will have the hardest time during this transition are veterans drivers who cannot adapt .

The industry wants “steering wheel holders” and that is fine for many people but when you calculate the unpaid waiting times. The struggles for “hours of service”, the paperless logs, all of these things factor into OTR trucking being nothing more than a highly corporate method to run an indentured servitude operation.

Old school truckers accept many of the lifestyle inconvieniences and new students should educate themselves on those things but anyone familar with how corporate America has destroyed manufacturing industries with their “every thing in triplicate” downsizing of experience for inexperience and jepordizing safety greed, those people will recognize that trucking is just now experiencing what happened in other industries such as the IT sector, automobile industry …etc.

Trucking is the last American Industry and those who are in it right now are getting a taste of what others have already lived and it is not pretty. I think you are wise to keep your local job rather than get on the never-ending hamster wheel of OTR.
Good Luck!
DW

This is a very fine and insightful Article. We are constantly being told by Trucker Media – ATA Stooges – that there is a driving shortage or one coming. These are Lies. The very real shortage is Good Paying Jobs. There is a plethora of Low Paying Trucking Jobs.
All of this disinformation is to ensure an steady stream of desperate job hunters in our Industry with the obvious result – keeping wages low and working conditions that would make some blush in a third – world country.
Come to think of it – be have become an Third- World Country……..

Hi Elmo:
Thank You for your comment, I used the term “Indentured Servitude” in parts of my tale to help the non-trucking community understand that what has been happening to the last American Industry right under their noses is a travesty.

The media to Truckers is very controlled and because the nature of the job is very isolated they have little ability to communicate.

Hopefully conscientious fiscally conservative people can begin to examine the ethics & safety questions that have created this ongoing False “Truck Driver Shortage”

I had NO IDEA that pay was that low at your company. Is that solo, or team split? I know you were solo from the Dan Rather Reports show. I’m fortunate to have the job I have, I have known this some time. But I had no clue that there were still pay out there that low.

Hi Laydon:
I am a dedicated solo o a large retail chain with a hazardous materials endorsement. I came on this fleet at .33 cents per mile bt then the economy took a nosedive at the same time Daimler was refinancing the short term debt & other internal matters were occuring.
Our fleet was downsized the trucking way & we have had lots of decreases to or bonuses & benefits.
If you read the two articles I have added to the bottom of this post yo will note the President o my Company states a differing opinion.
In my fleet we are sitting a lot lately or having to do store loads for a great deal less than private fleet drivers.
They sometimes ask us about our miles because they are getting less too!
Draw your own conclusions on what is going on.
Peace, Desiree

Unortunately, these people that are being brought into the industry blindly have no idea what is going on til it’s too late. They are being promised the moon by greedy recruiters with mega incentives to “puff up the facts” but oh no , they aren’t lying are they? They no nothing about the safety rating system or how they are being used and it’s only going to get worse. I see this as a oppotunity for many of these people to cash in with no conscience. After all they get their salary and thier bonuses and get to go home to their families every night. They could give a crap about the lives they could possibly be destroying, the families they are breaking apart and the needless mental anguish these trusting recruits, desperate for a job are facing. I could go on but I won’t. It just saddens me. The deception that has been going on for years is about to blow its seems and get worse.

Oh no there is lower pay out there. Most companies have gotten smart and now pay perdiem. A certain company in Kentucky that I worked for advertised $.34 a mile. Actual pay $.25 a mile the rest was paid in per diem. Meaning the driver at the end of the year could not take out any taxes. The Company took the driver’s taxes for him paying him the extra. When you see high pay; be smart ask the company about it. Get the truth.

More Comedy coming Monday on the Lockridge Report. Gordon Klemp of the highly respected National Transportation Institute – Who puts out the respected “National Survey of Driver Wages ‘ will tell the Flock that all is well and higher wages are waiting – “In the Near Future”. The “Driver Shortage” is real and will “be a crisis ” in the near Future. Whenever – the hell that is Hands. Anybody Retiring Soon ? LOL
To me – this is another example of ATA Lies being broadcast to Drivers as being legitimate information. This speaks volumes about the state of Trucker Media. Serve the Money.

Hey Elmo:
Yup, I learned very quickly how bought off XM/Sirius Radio was when the first Dan Rather Report aired.
They actually did a show about it where I was discussed but not permitted to be a caller. Whoops! I was told by “Ritchie” it was not the time or place for me to defend me or say anything to the contrary of what the ATA was saying about me….
Even Lockridge felt immediate heat on Twitter & Facebook and sent me a DM (Direct Message) that it was an accident and was saying on the air for me to call back but ….. Awww, I could never get through.

Evan Lockridge tweeted it was a mistake & we exchanged some direct messages about the facts but he did not respond after that.

Still, his show & the freewheelin show are just big commercial ATA ass sucking media campaigns.
I saw these people at MATS & none had the Balls to talk to me despite they made miles of my Dan Rather Appearence and subsequent shows.

VP Todd Spencer from OOIDA & Mark Reddig from Land Line Now are at least big enough men to give credit where credit is due. Both congratulated me on getting my story through to the public because trucking has a stranglehold on media, we know this.

The Media is very controlled to truckers, otherwise you would be hearing about the Arrow mess all over at Christmas but that was not the case.

The very LAST thing they want to be public knowledge is that one voice can make a difference.
Lockridge Report & Freewheelin have proved over the past few months they are bought & paid for.
Listen to who pays the bills… All the commercials are from big carriers who employ these tactics.

I was given a satellite radio following the Dan Rather series to listen to these shows who discussed me and my story but frankly if I want smoke blown up my ass, …. Well.. I don’t, because it gives me gas.

My blood begins to boil every time I hear this crap. Allen and I were talking last night about all this propaganda.

The next BTR show we’re having is on CSA 2010, but I think we should have one IMMEDIATELY after on “The Truck Driver Shortage” and “Truckers are classified as UNSKILLED labor”
Hell, lets just bring it all up on the next show for CSA 2010!!!!
it’s all tied in together anyway!!!!

You think Gordon Klemp will come on the show and answer questions from drivers? Our questions aren’t moderated.

These people can think up more stories to create this imaginative driver shortages! The lies have been going on for years.

Freight is picking up?
Desiree and I were just talking and she mentioned today that the TRUCK STOPS are the EMPTIEST she’s seen them? Who’s taking this increased freight then???

Ok, going to create an event now for it while I’m mad. Thank you Elmo, you got me in one of my moods and now I have to call Allen and get him in one too.

Check this out… talk about conflict of interest… @HDTrucking on Twitter the Editor is non other than Deborah Lockridge … Hmm Evan Lockridge & His Wife got a little sumthin sumthin goin on with the ATA and pals.

Gee, no wonder the American Trucker is getting screwed from all directions

Hey I want to add a footnote about my dispatcher…
He works in conjnction with a load planner.
Things run very smoothly on this fleet like I wrote in my first post on this site.
In fact, they run like a well oiled machine most days… unless SHE goes on vacation (sorry dude,…its true) still, you can’t please everyone.
The communication factor & Maturity level are as much of a factor as pay to me.
This morning I dealt with two women at a DC one was esspecially rude…the other noted it & helped me out instead of making my day moe difficult.
I found later that someone at this DC wrote a negative letter on a driver who questioned a trailer selection by an office staff.
These drivers have people gunning for them at every turn.
Professionalism occurs from the top down & is contagious.
So is Retaliation & a Hostile Work Environment

It’s the Blame Game at my place. I try to rationalize what I’m doing – it’s the Planner’s Fault according to the Fleet Manager. The Fleet Manager says I’ve got an Attitude. I try to argue that Intelligent People requires “some kind ” of rationale – even creative Bull Shit would be welcomed. Do as your told and you still have an ” Attitude according to Fleet Manager.
So the Fleet Manager is just an Eunuch answering the Phone. Give me an automated answering system with Voice Mail. Imagine this.
Virtual Fleet Manager. Press One for English.

That’s how most companies seem to train their staff. They use very few sentences and here are a few. When you complain they say You are difficult< There must be something wrong with you etc. When you bust their ass with straight out evidence of misdeeds they say "Let's all work together" "We are stronger if we are UNITED" then they blow you off and go back to their previous bullshit.

I think they must hold Trucking Industry Psychological Warfare Tactic Seminars when they all go to Vegas to give each other awards.

Very good article Desiree! There are a few good trucking companies out there but grossly overshadowed by the bad ones by far. As you know Dave had maintained his CDL although he did not drive for 20 years. He had to go through a “school” in order to get back into driving.

CRST was a NIGHTMARE of indentured servitude! 9 months of driver hell even though we did our home work and knew what to expect it should not have been that way.

Right now the Government sees big rigs as a polluting nuisance yet spends taxpayers money to recruit drivers setting them up for failure. We have seen too many lose everything and end up defeated and in debt.

[…] Right now there are many 4 year drivers who are making 18.5 cents driving team freight, this is because many companies who require experience are not hiring but a recent CNN Money reports the return of the mythical driver shortage reaching 400,000 by 2011. Here is my analysis of the Truck Driver Shortage […]

[…] Right now there are many 4 year drivers who are making 18.5 cents driving team freight, this is because many companies who require experience are not hiring but a recent CNN Money reports the return of the mythical driver shortage reaching 400,000 by 2011. Here is my analysis of the Truck Driver Shortage […]

Prior to the economy unraveling in 2007/2008 here is the USA, there were several blog advertising overseas with truck driver recruiting ads that said things like “Come see America and get paid” , these ads are lures for guest workers and this program is being abused. The Dan Rather programs I participated in and provided information about include guest worker abuse in trucking.

They have continued to cover this avenue of guest worker abuse in other industries such as the IT industry. here is a link. “Bright Future Jobs”

Our country is trying to eliminate American workers in some case in favor of guest workers and this is an important topic for anyone seeking permanant residence and a green card. Some might say that they are willing to do what it takes to have the chance to come to America but I have found that guest workers, just like American worker who are under siege to keep their jobs will have no long term security because it is the churning of labor and control of labor and wages that is the issue. No one is safe.

The Dan Rather programs on the guest worker abuse issues are on iTunes and some are on You Tube. This is something you should educate yourself on before you proceed. The cost of living in America is very high in comparison to other countries so while the pay may seem like a decent living wage where you are now, the truth is that it is not enough to maintain a residence off of the truck in America so you are sort of chained to the wheel of the truck. You have to live and work in the truck and often you are eliminated from the industry before you can get enough experience to move on to a qualified carrier who does not engage in these practices. It is a big risk if you are on a guest worker because you cannot just switch carriers if the carrier is engaging in abusive labor practices. Thanks for the comment. DW